Bridge crossing in the Dubai Marina

Let’s go with a Dubai photo for today. To be exact, one from the Dubai Marina. This was taken at one of the multiple bridges that span across the Dubai Marina. You have to use them every time you want to get to the other side and don’t want to go all the way around. I did this photo on the way back to the apartment we have rented there. It was right behind the construction on the right.

This is a three exposure blend done in Photoshop. Mostly I only needed to darken the mosque in the middle, as that was very bright compared to other buildings. This is not a panorama, but a photo taken with a 12mm lens, that I cropped in post-processing. I did so, as there was just too much of the walkway in it, and it took away from the look I wanted here.

Early morning in Downtown Dubai

Let’s stop by Dubai in today’s photo. This one was taken a year ago, very early in the morning, right as the sky started to brighten for the sunrise. It was not the easiest shot to take. Right in the middle of where I was standing, is a camera overlooking the area. It would be ok, if there was not a huge cover on it. It really is in the way. Even with a very tall tripod, I could not get over it. So in the end, I took the shot handheld. I stood as close as I could, and braced myself against the camera cover. Not everything worked perfectly, but after few tries, I got few shots I could use.

This is a two shot blend, done in Photoshop. This series was three shots, but one was blurred as I could not hold it still. Luckily I did not need it.

At the edge of Business bay in Dubai

A bit of a random photo from the Business bay in Dubai. I took many photos there, but also wanted some with the bridges in the area. But it was also already quite late at night and I have been up since 4am that day. And the heat really did not help with not being dead tired. So I got few shots and packed for the day. Still it came out quite nice.

This is a three exposure blend done completely in Photoshop. This is not a panorama, I cropped the photo to this aspect ration. I used the 12mm Laowa lens here, and while it captured a lot in the shot, it also meant I got a lot of the water, more then I wanted. So I cropped it out of the photo. Cityscapes usually look better as panoramic shots anyway. I also used the Nisi Natural Night filter in this photo. I don’t use it all the time, but I quite like the results I got in my Dubai photos. It really depends on the lights that are in the scene, if it’s worth it or not.

Palms, dandelions and the Burj Khalifa

I wanted to post my first impressions of the Innorel 85C tripod that I got yesterday, but I did not manage to finish it, so instead a new photo today. This one is from right under the Burj Khalifa, where there are these cool huge dandelions. The change colors ever minute or so, and just look great. For this photo I used the 12mm Laowa lens. It’s hard to see it here, but I was standing really close to these dandelions. The walkway between the fence and the Dubai fountain is not really that wide there. But with the 12mm lens I was able to capture quite a lot.

This is a blend from three exposures, blended and edited in Photoshop.

New tripod

During my trip to Hallstatt last month, my tripod broke. One of the leg locks on longer work. And since it a horrible tripod anyway (I bought it just as a temporary solution and never got to replace it) I’m not even thinking of trying to repair it. So I ordered a new one, trying a Chinese brand this time, the Innorel RT85C to be exact. It’s quite a cheap tripod but the specification and all the reviews I could find look good.

It should arrive later this week or early next, so I will do a first impression article and probably also a review later one. I’m really curious about it.

Hot summer day in the Dubai Marina

What better photo to share while we still have winter (more or less depending where you are) than a summer photo. And this one is a panorama from a very sunny a hot day in the Dubai Marina.

This is a two shot panorama each shot blended from three exposures. Normally I would not even take a photo at a time like that. It was just too bright and the sun created a shadow over half of the marina. That did not really help when editing. I tried to edit this photo maybe 5 times before, but never got to a result I liked. Until now that is.

Sharing images

All images are shared under Creative Commons, Attribution, Non-derivatieves, Non-Commercial. Feel free to use images non-commercialy on your blog, facebook, pinterest and similar but link to www.hdrshooter.com and give credit to me, Miroslav Petrasko, as the author.